backbay

I'm doing some work for a client friend, and had to deal with Bell for most of the morning. Below is part of my message to him: I've spent all frigging morning on this. Bell is almost useless, although their customer service people are much more knowledgeable, friendly and courteous about the things that can't be done than they have been in the past

Black Labs are truly mans' best friend, congrats!

A ride in the boat used to be the best way to put my boys to sleep when they were restless. Thanks, this brings back great memories

Think I prefer him to Drake.

I'm speculating, because I don't fish the French, but I wouldn't argue with what you have to say about GBay. I don't really think they'd be bigger in the French, though, just my opinion.

As my kids would say, that's pretty gnar. I refresh my CPR every 2 years, still remember most of what I learned as an army cadet so many years ago, but wouldn't be opposed to freshening that up, either.

Gosh, you didn't just drink the Koolaid, you drank the whole jug! Fabulous collection Didn't you own a Smoke for 20 minutes or so last year?

I reversed a spool last year, like ugly said, simply by tying on to a new reel. it works great.

Joey, it was wonderful. They played as a six-piece and also had a 2 violin, viola, and cello backup string section. The band isn't just the Tony Dekker show anymore. They sounded really great, nice vibe during the whole show.

Got out last night to the Music Hall to see these guys:

Three Cheers for Mike!:clapping: Thanks, Hope I can get north in time for the contest! Chris

No, the guys were all from Toronto. There were a few boats on the weekend, and a group from the Pennsylvania club up for the week, but there are a lot of places to hide up there, for sure.

He had this crazy glove with him, but I couldn't agree with you more!

This Believer, a white holo Suick, and and orange/black Bucher bucktail.

Time finally came to open up my pal's cottage, which normally coincides with the opening of pike season in that neck of the woods. There was a fair bit of work to do this year: some plumbing, a septic pump that was uncooperative (that's bad), a roof and ceiling leak to repair, some wiring to do, a room to panel and finish, and a host of the normal cottage stuff to take care of, so I stayed up for 10 days to take care of things, and to scare the fish. The weather, of course, was unbelievably good. Considering it often snows this time of year, it seemed like summer arrived overnight. As usual, the area's beauty was a welcome sight after spending winter in Toronto. After getting the place up and running, some of our pals came up to welcome the new fishing season. My buddy Timo only throws Topraiders and some drastically over-sized submarines disguised as lures. As a result, he was working on a weekend total of zero by the time Sunday rolled around. On the way back to the cottage, I pointed out an area where I caught a muskie the summer before. Timo asked to troll though, and redeemed himself from the dreaded skunk: On Monday, after the guys had gone home, I went to check on my favourite beaver pond. The pond looked great. Can't wait till it's time to get on it with some topwater gear. The next morning was pristine. Massasauga Park at 7 am: and on the way home that night: Wood blends in with rock on Woods Bay: As usual, the fishing was great, with lots of pike being caught, as well as quite a number of OOS footballs, which seemed to have already started to move off their nests. In the 10 days or so that I was up, the pike had started to transition off the shallows and into deeper water as the water warmed up. I hate the cold, and seldom swim in May, but was in the water a few times. The water temp off the dock five feet down was 65*, which was surprising as the depth is over 20 ft. deep. It was a fantastic time to fast-forward into the middle of summer, and I can't wait to get up again. A few notes: As I mentioned, the focus changed from looking for pike in knee-deep water to 10-15 ft, over the period of a week or so. I briefly tried an Alabama rig, despite bring ridiculed by my girlfriend Cindy for cheating. I'll take another crack at it after bass season opens. It take just a bit of prep to choose what swimbaits/plastics you want to use, and to make sure they are are running true. As a guy who usually fishes with 5 or 6 rods, often in a smallish boat, you have to pay some attention to how and where you place it when not in use. It can be a pain, actually. The fishing was best during the super-moon, without a doubt. All of the eight guys who were up had great luck, and a few of them do very little fishing. I got a pike using a Super Spook, which I normally wait to June to start using, as they just seem to work better then. I also caught my first gar of the year. I was some of them doing the Lambada in the shallows. I invested a lot of time paying attention to the bottom contour in advance of muskie and smallie season, looking for walls, breaks, and holes. This is going to be my year chasing the heavyweights!

Always been a sandpaper guy myself, but thanks, that looks like new!

Perhaps a members-only report section, but I wouldn't want to encourage anything that prevents the site from growing, or impairs the viability of the site.

I too, have done it far more times than I care to admit! Two times come immediately to mind, though. A few years ago, I was attaching a lure to the hook holder, when it slipped/missed, whatever, and embedded a hook well past the barb, as my medium weight rod sprung itself straight. No way was I going trek to Parry Sound, and ruin the afternoon, so I set about removing the thing, grabbing the pliers to get it out. No dice, as no matter how I hauled, the pain overcame my efforts, when I tried to pull it out. Off to the cottage to enlist the aid of my best friend, using the line around the shank and yank method. He took one look at me, and all but fainted, tough guy that he is. I worked on it for a while longer, and finally, we decided to consult a retired doctor we knew of who cottaged not far away. When we arrived at his place, a dock party was in full swing. We had phoned before, and were expected, and it was nice to be handed a Heineken as we arrived. The Good Doctor made his way down to the dock, large beer stein in hand, and led me back upstairs to the picnic table outside. "Let me get my kit" he, said, "I might have some anesthetic." I was delighted! The doc returned, opened a plastic tackle box, revealing a couple of band aids, and a set of forceps. I was crestfallen.... He then proceeded to yard on the hook, saying, "I hear there's a trick to this", but after a few tries, he pulled it out, and left my finger entact. It didn't feel great, but was better than a road trip to the hospital. We thanked our hosts, after some small talk, and left. Another occasion was a brutal self-removal at the gas dock of the Moon River Marina. I noticed a lure had become stuck in my rain jacket, and in the process of working it out, I jabbed the thing, again, past the barb. I knew the only thing worse than putting up with horsing it out myself, would be to walk into the marina and face the ridicule of the staff, who I know well, so again, I simply refused to let me problems fester, and hauled it out on my own. I haven't stuck myself for a few years: hopefully, I'm not due.

Many happy returns, Joey! All the very best.

If it wasn't there, most of us would probably miss it. They don't always have the specific size or colour of lure I want, but I've always wondered how you could stock every SKU from each manufacturer. The staff, when I deal with them, have always helped me out. I really don't have any complaints about the place, and because it's on the way north for me, it can always be a fun start to a fishing weekend

I love it all, but strikes by anything is my favourite. I love dog-walking top water baits, from spooks to jackpots

Much respect

OOOHHHH Yeah....... Starting to get some road music together for the drive north....